Vintique Motors is thrilled to present his 1938 Chevrolet Master Town Sedan Hot Rod!
Chevrolet introduced the Master model in 1933 as the successor to the Eagle model and offered it in a number of two door and four door body styles along with an upscale Deluxe trim level ending production in 1942 with the U.S. entering WWII. Interestingly, during this generation of GM production, all GM models shared a corporate design language as a result of the Art and Color Section headed by legendary GM designer Harley Earl. The only engine offered was a 206ci inline 6-cylinder, rated between 79 – 85 horsepower depending on the model year, mated to a 3-speed manual transmission.
This 1938 Master Town Sedan was built in GM’s Norwood, OH assembly plant in January 1938 originally finished in gunmetal gray over a tan interior. Per the original title included with the car, it was sold new by Chevrolet dealer White Motor Sales in Lancaster, OH to a gentleman from Sugar Grove, OH on 3/26/1938 for $743 in which he retained it for 45 years before selling it to Bowman Chevrolet in Hebron, OH on 11/14/1983 for $15,569. Sometime in the late 1980’s, it was purchased by a gentleman from Michigan who proceeded to restore it to a high level along with tastefully hot rodding it. He would retain the car for approximately 27 years until his passing in which his son, a Detroit Speed executive from South Lyon, MI, then assumed titled ownership of it in 2015 and proceeded to update the car with a new interior and wheels. We then purchased it from him on 8/3/2020 to add to our private collection.
The restoration and hot-rodding process reportedly started in the late 1980s in which it has been preserved and updated as the decades marched on. It is beautifully finished in a custom mix green that was reportedly applied in 1990 by Aman’s in Canton, OH along with a hand applied champaign colored pin stripe and still presents exceptionally well today. The current custom interior appears to have been updated and installed in 2015 as it has a lovely modern presentation in a two-tone tan and chocolate brown color scheme with leather and suede seat material with no visible wear to speak of. The original gauge cluster is not operational and in its place is a beautifully crafted gauge cluster mounted at the bottom of the dash housing VDO gauges for battery voltage, fuel, speedometer, odometer, trip odometer, water temperature, and oil pressure. It also features an Ididit steering column and a chromed Hurst shifter. The current mileage shown is 1,123 miles which is reportedly the mileage accumulated since installation of the new gauges in 2015. We have driven approximately 250 miles in our 3 years of ownership.
Under the hood sits a GM Performance ZZ3 350ci V8 crate engine which was rated by GM at 345 horsepower at 5,200 RPM and 395 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,500 rpm mated to a 1969 dated Muncie M-20 4-speed manual transmission. Fuel delivery arrives via a Holly 750 CFM 4-barrel carburetor with Delco Remy ignition. The exhaust is comprised of a set of mild headers with manual cutouts running through Flowmaster mufflers. The chassis and suspension are largely stock aside for extra bracing and gas shock absorbers. It has a Ford 9″ rear-end and braking is provided by discs up front and drums in the back and it’s all riding on a set of one-off custom-made color-matched Rushforth artillery style wheels with polished lips sized 18″ up front and 20″ in the back mounted on Nitto NT555 Extreme ZR tires with 2014 date codes.
We have enjoyed having this beautiful ’38 Chevy hot rod in our private collection showing it at a number of events in which its crowning achievement was winning 1st in class at the 2022 Detroit Autorama. We strive to offer vehicles in turn-key condition and in preparation for its sale we had our trusted vintage car vendor Nostalgic Motoring in Auburn Hills, MI go through the car front to back with $4,350 in servicing and updates. It runs and drives fantastic and needs nothing more than a turn of the key to go out and enjoy it. Included with the sale are the recent service records as well as the copy of the original title from 1938 which also includes annual registration stamps from 1939-1983! Do not miss this incredible hot rod.